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Adalan Odesterai
Adalan Odesterai is a blood elven actor and playwright. He is most well-known as the host of the Sunfury Ball. Biography Early Life Nothing of Adalan's family is known. As an infant, he was abandoned on the streets of Silvermoon, which has lead to (unproven) rumours and speculation that one of his parents was of the nobility, abandoning a bastard child to avoid a scandal. The young Adalan was discovered by members of the Dawning Lane Players, a travelling theatrical company, and he was raised in their company. With the entirety of his childhood spent in the company of actors, writers, bards and poets, Adalan grew up as one of them. He grew to adore the roar of the audience, the bright stage lights, the hushed anticipation of a performance, the thrill of being applauded and loved. As a child he was eager to help out his adopted family and became a ubiquotous presence backstage, fast and nimble on his feet, bright and intimately knowledgeable of the workings of a company of strolling players. Before long he had his first stage role, and was immediately hooked. Actor As an actor, Adalan displayed a rare talent borne from having spent his entire life literally in theatre. Even before he had come of age, Adalan was given ever greater and more prestigious parts, noted among audiences and his peers as a true rising talent. Before long Adalan had become one of the Dawning Lane Players' leading members, and his personal fame began to grow, both in Quel'Thalas and in Lordaeron. His natural grace and charm both on and off-stmeant that, despite being one of the youngest members of the company, he quickly became one of the most well-known. Adalan strove to maintain a lifestyle of excitement and adventure to match those he portrayed on-stage. Rumours began to surface about his tumultuous lifestyle, such as an involvement with a group of smugglers at Sunsail Anchorage, the theft of one of the crown jewels of King Anasterian, and the seduction and deflowering of the daughter of Lord Seregae Fein. Adalan took care to never deny any of these rumours, finding that with each one his fame - and infamy - grew, and with it came successes both on and off-stage. A mere actor could never be seen in the company of true nobility of course, yet rumour of scandalous relationships with high-born elves and humans seemed to follow him wherever he went. The Third War The Dawning Lane Players had commenced a long overdue tour of the Kingdom of Lordaeron when Prince Arthas returned from Northrend with his Scourge army. The company arrived in Lordaeron City scant days before Arthas, and were there when his undead forces began to sack the city. Caught up in the middle of a storm of slaughter and terror, only three of the Players managed to escape, one of them being Adalan. Though stricken with grief at the fall of his friends and fellow actors, Adalan and his companions fled back north to Quel'Thalas, and sought an audience with the king himself to warn of the troubles in Lordaeron. Farstrider Scouts were dispatched, but did not have to travel far before they encountered the Scourge army marching on their own lands. Adalan and his companions were evacuated with other civillians to the Isle of Quel'Danas, where it was hoped they would be spared by the enemy. They were not. It is unclear how Adalan managed to escape the devestation and slaughter that happened on Quel'Danas. Only a handful of elves remained when the Scourge departed, one of whom was apparently Adalan Odesterai, last of the Dawning Lane Players. He returned to a land wracked by death and destruction, and for the first time in his life, Adalan was alone in the world. In the weeks and months that followed, Adalan found himself swept up in the tide of revolution and vengeance as Prince Kael'Thas Sunstrider returned home to lead the remnants of his people. Adalan joined the new reformed Blood Elf army under the Prince's command, but did not stay for long. The fury and lust for vengeance, coupled with the strict military discipline he was expected to follow, did not agree with Adalan. By the time Kael'Thas had reached Outland, Adalan had already deserted and returned home. It is unknown whether he saw combat during this time. Travels beyond Quel'Thalas Following the Third War, Adalan ventured out from Quel'Thalas once more. His movements are difficult to pin down precisely during this time, but it is known that he spent some considerable time within the ancient elven heartland of Ashenvale Forest, including the part now known as Felwood and the mountainous land of Winterspring. He also lived for a time in Booty Bay on the tip of the Cape of Stranglethorn, where he made associations with some of the seedier elements that dwell there. It was during this time that Adalan, living once again in Silvermoon, petitioned the Regent Lord Lor'Themar Theron of Quel'Thelas to hold the Sunfury Ball once again, and for a time Adalan was one of the more well-known citizens of Silvermoon City. Perhaps this brush with Silvermoon politics stirred something within Adalan, since he briefly took up arms in rebellion against Kael'Thas and the Burning Legion in the battle for the Sunwell. Despite close ties with the Scryers, Adalan was never properly inducted into the Shattered Sun Offensive, and by the time of the final push against Kil'Jaeden, Adalan had moved on again. This had been the first time Adalan had taken up arms for a cause other than his own since his desertion from Kael'Thas's forces six years previously. Voyage of the Horizon Some months following the first Sunfury Ball, Adalan chartered the elven sloop Horizon from Sunsail Anchorage on an unknown mission. With the ship only having a half-crew of elves, Adalan was forced to hire extra hands for the voyage, which included the beggar and con artist Nakkayaad, the undead thief and trickster Sokdror and the unconventionally-named Tauren Eric Bighoof. Adalan led the voyage, securing a small amount of funding from the Regent Lord Lor'Themar Theron by agreeing to combine it with a diplomatic envoy mission to the human kingdom of Kul Tiras. Reports indicate that this mission, to renew the treaty of non-aggression between Kul Tiras and the elves, was not a great success, partly due to the presence of other Horde races on the Horizon itself. Adalan and his crew were imprisoned, but managed to affect an escape with outside help. The Horizon launched from Boralus safely, and eventually escaped pursuit from the human fleet. With the Kul Tiras debacle behind him, Adalan was able to take the crew of the Horizon further south, and the ship entered the South Seas, beyond the reach of all maps. Uncharacteristically for Adalan, his motives remain unknown to all but his closest confidents. It is believed that he was searching for someone or something, and he would later refer to the voyage as a treasure hunt. Lacking any definate course, Adalan may have been taking advice from an unknown source. Whatever the truth, his unwillingness to turn back and return to the more familiar shipping lanes of the Eastern Kingdoms caused friction between him and the Horizon's captain, Daelin Vay. Eventually this became an open animosity, and finally a mutiny. The Horizon was found beached on the shore of Tanaris eight months after it had sailed from Quel'Thalas. Only three crew members are believed to have returned with it: Adalan, Nakkayaad and Eric Bighoof. The fates of Daelin Vay and the rest of the elven crew are unknown. Exile and Return Adalan did not stay long in Kalimdor, and soon booked passage to Northrend, where he became entangled in the escalating conflict against the Scourge. Eventually however, he found himself once again dwelling within Silvermoon City, and became a familiar sight around the inns and taverns of the city. It was during this period, shortly after the second Sunfury Ball that he fell foul of the draconian laws of the kingdom. Adalan was arrested and secretly tried for treason over the discovery of a book, believed to be written by Adalan's own hand, which heavily criticised the reign of Lor'Themar Theron, and called for a regime change in Quel'Thalas. All known copies of the book were destroyed. The evidence against Adalan was tenuous however, and as such his sentence was mitigated from execution to exile. Adalan returned to Stranglethorn Vale, where he dwelt for several months. It can be reasonably assumed that the sentence of exile still hangs over Adalan, which makes his return to Quel'Thalas even more noteworthy. The Silvermoon Guard seems to ignore him and he has been seen moving freely - albeit extremely cautiously - around the city. It may be that he has found some way to mitigate or nullify the sentence, since his relationship with the Regent Lord is once again polite, if perhaps not particularly cordial. Personality One of the first things people note about Adalan when meeting him is his strange method of speech. Long years spent performing on stage have left their mark on Adalan, and the florid language of the theatre is his mother tongue. He speaks poetically and melifluously, which can be sometimes difficult for other races to understand, especially the extremely informal Darkspear Trolls. Adalan relies on his wits and charm more than anything else to guide him through life, despite having a not-inconsiderable skill with a blade. He believes that any situation that he cannot talk his way out of is a situation he should not be in in the first place. Needless to say, this is somewhat at odds with the more brutish methods employed by the Horde. Commonly describing himself as "a lover of wine, women and song", Adalan lives a casual and carefree life. He rarely maintains any formal connections to wider organisations within the Horde, and bears no particular love for the causes or goals of the Horde. Rather, he keeps a loose collection of friends, allies and acquaintences to hand, which keeps him free of any major political entanglements. Usually. Relationships Known Associates *Vypra *Daymar *Nakkayaad *Sokdror *Eiyre *Eric Bighoof *Kethin Cedare *Quintilius Delauney *Elisse Comments *''I guess he's a good boss. Pays on time. Lent me a raptor once. Looks after his mates, you know? - Nakkayaad on Adalan'' Category:People Category:Blood Elves Category:Art